Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 105

The nobles should have been together, like birds following a phoenix in the sky. But around the coffin, they were split into two groups, east and west. They moved and acted very differently.

The funeral rules said nobles should sit by region. But because the groups were already split east and west, sitting by region just put the two sides even further apart.

Even the First and Second Princes, who should have looked sad, didn’t. They were in the middle of the nobles, but they were too busy staring angrily at each other.

Only the King’s wives and the Third Prince looked sad. They seemed to be mourning.

But maybe they were just worried about what would happen to them now, not really sad about the King.

The place was loud and messy. It felt more like they were disrespecting the dead king than honoring him. Logan thought of one word to describe it all:

“A mess.”

Logan was a noble himself, but even he felt his face get hot with shame. No wonder the Archbishop, who was about to read the speech, paused for a second.

The noise got even louder when the Archbishop started to read about the King’s life. “King Samuel von Grandia,” he began, “forty years ago, when he was just the Crown Prince…”

Logan wondered how long this speech was going to be if it started forty years ago! The nobles were already fidgeting. Now, their faces started to twist in boredom, and they looked away from the Archbishop.

If they had just kept talking quietly, it would have been bad enough for the kingdom’s nobles. But someone was bothering Logan directly.

And he was right next to him!

“One week left, McLain,” a low voice chuckled. “Enjoy it while you can. Don’t waste your last days being sad.”

Count Roger Bipros smirked, trying to make Logan and his father angry.

Like his father, who showed no emotion, Logan didn’t answer.

*This eulogy is a nightmare,* he thought. It was only going back 39 years now! Logan decided to have a little fun in this chaos.

“Oh, really? Haven’t you heard?” Logan asked. “I know you want to live…” He leaned closer. “I got an offer from *your* group.”

“What?” Bipros asked, surprised.

“We might become friends,” Logan said. “So be careful what you say, Count.”

“That’s rubbish!” Bipros scoffed.

“If you think it’s rubbish, go ask Marquis Luther Kyle over there yourself.”

Roger Bipros’s face went stiff as he looked at the huge man standing far away.

Logan smirked. “Just joking,” he said.

“You little—!” Bipros started to say, angry.

“Or maybe not,” Logan interrupted. “It depends on you.”

Bipros just grunted, “Hmph.”

Logan watched Bipros’s face change color, wondering what he was thinking. It was funny. But then, a voice interrupted.

“Your Excellency,” a man said, bowing low. “Marquis Kyle would never do that. Everyone knows how important you are to the group.”

A man with a big mustache pushed his way forward. It was Max Peretta, who used to work for Logan’s family but now worked for Bipros.

Max rubbed his hands together, acting like he had been Bipros’s loyal servant for years.

“He’s just shouting because he’s scared,” Max said, looking at Logan.

“Enough!” Bipros said quietly, stopping Max’s fake praise. Bipros was staring into space, his face still hard.

*It would have been funnier if he had just gotten angry,* Logan thought. He was bored now. He turned back to the Archbishop and saw his father give him a small thumbs up.

– 38 years ago… the speech droned on. The little moment was over, just like that, in the middle of the never-ending eulogy.

– “And with that,” a Royal Guard said in a flat voice, “the first day of the state funeral is finished.” The sun had already gone down.

The Archbishop’s speech was definitely the longest part of the whole day, which had started in the morning. During that incredibly long speech, it seemed like only the Archbishop himself was crying, laughing, and feeling emotional. And maybe the Sword Master, Felix Esperanza, who was standing at the front, bowing his head to the ground.

As soon as the ceremony was over, sighs and groans came from all over the royal palace square. Most of the nobles started to leave quickly. But Logan and Patrick had to stay and greet people again – people they didn’t want to see.

“I am Baron Jeremy Falson, from the Valterheim family. Duke Patrick McLain, can I talk to you for a moment?” one noble asked.

“I am Zino Levanson, from the Douglas family. Baron Logan, can I have a word?” said another.

This was very different from when Logan first came to the capital. Now, people weren’t just interested in the Sword Master’s student. They wanted McLain to join *their* groups. Offers to join different sides were coming one after another. Roger Bipros was standing nearby, forced to watch. His face looked more and more angry and scared.

Even after Patrick and Logan left, turning down most of the offers, Bipros’s angry look didn’t change. After a while, his helper, Lentor, said quietly, “Count, we should go back now.”

“I need to see the Duke,” Bipros said.

“Yes, of course. I’ll tell him,” Lentor replied quickly.

Even after Lentor left, Roger Bipros kept staring at the place where the McLains had been. Then he said, “No one takes what’s mine and gets away with it. Never.”

His eyes looked strange and bright, even in the growing darkness of the royal palace. It was like he had made a dangerous decision.

“Are you really not going to join a group?” Patrick asked, his voice serious. They were leaving the royal palace, having just managed to get rid of all the people trying to recruit them.

“Are you worried?” Logan asked.

“Worried? Yes! If we keep going like this, our family is in danger. Shouldn’t we join one side to stop Bipros from attacking us soon?”

“Which group do you think would be best for us, Father?” Logan asked.

“Well,” Patrick said, “because of our problem with Bipros, and if we need a reason to join someone, it should be the First Prince. He’s next in line to be king… Hmm. You’re not planning to join anyone, are you?”

Logan said what he was thinking. “Yes, I’m not. If things get really bad, our family will probably be used as a reason for the fighting.”

Patrick didn’t look convinced. “But that’s later,” Patrick said. “If we don’t stop Bipros now, we might not even have a future in a month!”

“If things get *really* bad,” Logan said, “we can always ask Master for help. But we should try to solve this ourselves first.”

“Solve it ourselves?” Patrick repeated, surprised.

“Yes,” Logan said simply. Patrick stopped walking and looked at his son, then sighed deeply.

“What’s your plan?” Patrick asked. “If you have something in mind, tell me now.”

“You’ll see when the funeral is over,” Logan said.

“If you’re planning something,” Patrick warned, “you have to talk to me first! Promise me!”

“Yes,” Logan agreed.

Logan felt bad that what happened in Tomodo had made his father trust him less. But he knew he could fix that later. This new plan, though… *I can’t tell him about this,* Logan thought. He didn’t like it either, and he knew his father would definitely say no.

Back at their house, Philip Claude was there. He had come to the capital because Logan asked him to. Philip and Patrick were saying hello, a little awkwardly.

“I am Philip Claude,” Philip said. “It’s been a while, Lord.”

“Philip!” Patrick said. “Yes, it has been a while. I heard you were very busy?”

“Well, the Grand Duke asked me to…” Just then, Logan saw Philip and walked over, looking happy.

“Philip! You’re here!”

“Greetings, Young Master,” Philip said. “I’m late.”

“No, you’re not,” Logan said. “You’re just in time. Come with me.”

Logan pulled Philip away, trying not to let his father see. “Here’s what you asked for,” Philip said, handing Logan something wrapped in cloth. “Can I ask what you’re going to use it for?”

“No,” Logan said, smiling. Philip looked confused. Logan chuckled. “It’s like in Imporic,” Logan explained. “You remember? Same reason.”

“Ah,” Philip said, understanding.

“The less people who know, the better,” Logan said. “Maybe I’ll tell you later.”

“Please let me sell it for you!” Philip begged.

“Hmm, maybe,” Logan said, smiling. He looked at the object in his hand. *It’s not for selling,* he thought. The object felt strange and new in this time, but Logan knew it very well from another time. It made him feel strange. *I never thought I’d use this again.* He had everything ready now. He just needed to wait for the right time.

The state funeral went on, day after day, just as planned. Day 2, Day 3, Day 4. The ceremony was incredibly boring for everyone there. But as the days passed, the way people treated Logan, or rather the McLain family, started to change.

The offers to join groups kept coming, just like they had since the important people arrived on the first day. The people making the offers changed, but the offers kept coming. But something else was changing too: how the people who called themselves group messengers were acting.

“He’s too proud of himself,” one voice said. “Just because he got lucky in that small town.”

“Exactly,” another voice agreed. “He’s only popular because of timing. Why is he acting so important? Let’s just say a few words and leave. He’s just sitting on the fence anyway.”

Logan could hear these voices clearly, even though Barons Klopper and Peterson were talking behind closed doors. They were from different groups.

Their attitude was strange for messengers. Logan watched them for a moment. He was right – they had other plans. *I thought they seemed unsure,* he thought. The people in charge and the people doing the job don’t always want the same thing. It made sense that these messengers, who were probably forced to come, weren’t trying very hard. But why were messengers from *different* groups talking together like this?

*Fence-sitter… well, I guess I am,* Logan thought. If he seemed to be playing both sides without meaning to, it was enough to make everyone angry at him. He felt a little worried, but he was about to ignore it as just something that happens. But then, he heard something else that caught his attention.

“Count Roger Bipros was right all along,” one voice said.

“Roger Bipros…” Logan repeated to himself. He smirked.

Logan didn’t care about the groups, but his enemy was struggling all alone. It was like watching a child desperately trying to keep someone from taking his toys. Logan laughed to himself, seeing his enemy, who had seemed so powerful before, now looking so small and weak.

“Trying so hard,” Logan whispered. “So hard.”

But even if Bipros tried, it wouldn’t change anything. Something else was worrying Logan more than Bipros’s silly tricks.

“Oh, my son-in-law! It’s been a while!” a cheerful voice boomed.

“It has, Father-in-law,” Logan replied.

“Things are bad right now,” Count Floyd said, “but I asked to see you because I heard you came with my son-in-law. Why are you alone? Shouldn’t we set a date for the wedding soon?”

“Ah, haha,” Logan laughed nervously. “It seems you haven’t heard from Aileen… Lady Aileen. We’ve had some trouble in our lands recently…”

“I got her message,” Count Floyd said. “She’s fine. But shouldn’t we hurry even more because of the trouble? If we announce our families are joining together, it will scare Bipros, right?”

*It won’t help much. That man is crazy,* Logan thought. He had to hide how he really felt and try to convince Count Floyd, sweating as he spoke. He would marry Aileen eventually, of course. But not now. *I can’t waste time on a wedding right now,* he thought.

Luckily, Aileen must have said the right things, because Count Floyd stopped pushing for the wedding. And after that, no more messengers from the groups came, maybe because of Bipros’s tricks, or maybe because Logan had been so clear he wasn’t interested. As the funeral was ending, Patrick got more and more worried. And then, it was announced: – “The Grand Noblesse will be held to decide the future of our country!”

The Grand Noblesse. A huge meeting of all the nobles in Grandia. It was happening two weeks earlier than Logan remembered from before, before the Sword Master said he wouldn’t take sides. The moment Logan had been waiting for was finally here.